Heavy audio crackling in tri-Ace games after Nov 12th SPU changes

[trostboot]

After the SPU changes on Nov 12th, audio is crackling severely (see below for tested games), regardless of output driver or latency settings. Switching to the software renderer (just to eliminate another variable) has no effect, either.
The actual framerate and framepacing is unaffacted.

Reverting to an older version of the core immediately fixes it again.

RetroArch 1.22.2, 69a4f0e. System information:

System:
  Kernel: 6.17.8-1-default arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 15.2.1
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: initrd=\opensuse-tumbleweed\6.17.8-1-default\initrd-<>
    splash quiet amd_pstate=active
    cryptdevice=UUID=<>:system-root
    root=UUID=<> mitigations=auto
    rootflags=subvol=@/.snapshots/1027/snapshot
    systemd.machine_id=<>
  Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 6.5.2 tk: Qt v: N/A info: frameworks v: 6.20.0
    wm: kwin_wayland tools: avail: xscreensaver vt: 2 dm: SDDM Distro: openSUSE
    Tumbleweed 20251119
CPU:
  Info: model: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Zen 3+ gen: 3
    level: v3 note: check built: 2022 process: TSMC n6 (7nm) family: 0x19 (25)
    model-id: 0x21 (33) stepping: 2 microcode: 0xA201213
  Topology: cpus: 1x dies: 1 clusters: 1 cores: 8 threads: 16 tpc: 2
    smt: enabled cache: L1: 512 KiB desc: d-8x32 KiB; i-8x32 KiB L2: 4 MiB
    desc: 8x512 KiB L3: 96 MiB desc: 1x96 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 1755 min/max: 576/4553 boost: enabled scaling:
    driver: amd-pstate-epp governor: powersave cores: 1: 1755 2: 1755 3: 1755
    4: 1755 5: 1755 6: 1755 7: 1755 8: 1755 9: 1755 10: 1755 11: 1755 12: 1755
    13: 1755 14: 1755 15: 1755 16: 1755 bogomips: 108803
  Flags-basic: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a
    ssse3 svm
  Vulnerabilities:
  Type: gather_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: ghostwrite status: Not affected
  Type: indirect_target_selection status: Not affected
  Type: itlb_multihit status: Not affected
  Type: l1tf status: Not affected
  Type: mds status: Not affected
  Type: meltdown status: Not affected
  Type: mmio_stale_data status: Not affected
  Type: old_microcode status: Not affected
  Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
  Type: retbleed status: Not affected
  Type: spec_rstack_overflow mitigation: Safe RET
  Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via
    prctl
  Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer
    sanitization
  Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Retpolines; IBPB: conditional; IBRS_FW;
    STIBP: always-on; RSB filling; PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected; BHI: Not
    affected
  Type: srbds status: Not affected
  Type: tsa mitigation: Clear CPU buffers
  Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
  Type: vmscape mitigation: IBPB before exit to userspace
Graphics:
  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 32 [Radeon RX 7700 XT /
    7800 XT] vendor: XFX driver: amdgpu v: kernel arch: RDNA-3 code: Navi-3x
    process: TSMC n5 (5nm) built: 2022+ pcie: gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16
    ports: active: DP-2 empty: DP-1, DP-3, HDMI-A-1, Writeback-1
    bus-ID: 0d:00.0 chip-ID: 1002:747e class-ID: 0300
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.15 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.8
    compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: modesetting unloaded: vesa
    alternate: fbdev dri: radeonsi gpu: amdgpu display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: DP-2 model: AOC AG273QS3R4 serial: <filter> built: 2020 res:
    mode: 2560x1440 hz: 165 scale: 100% (1) dpi: 109 gamma: 1.2
    size: 597x336mm (23.5x13.23") diag: 685mm (27") ratio: 16:9 modes:
    max: 2560x1440 min: 720x400
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: amd radeonsi platforms: device: 0 drv: radeonsi
    device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: drv: kms_swrast surfaceless: drv: radeonsi
    wayland: drv: radeonsi x11: drv: radeonsi
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: amd mesa v: 25.3.0 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT (radeonsi navi32 LLVM
    21.1.5 DRM 3.64 6.17.8-1-default) device-ID: 1002:747e memory: 15.62 GiB
    unified: no display-ID: :0.0
  API: Vulkan v: 1.4.328 layers: 9 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu name: AMD
    Radeon RX 7800 XT (RADV NAVI32) driver: mesa radv v: 25.3.0
    device-ID: 1002:747e surfaces: N/A device: 1 type: cpu name: llvmpipe
    (LLVM 21.1.5 256 bits) driver: mesa llvmpipe v: 25.3.0 (LLVM 21.1.5)
    device-ID: 10005:0000 surfaces: N/A
  Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
    de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: lact,radeontop wl: wayland-info
    x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
Audio:
  Device-1: Creative Labs CA0132 Sound Core3D [Sound Blaster Recon3D /
    Z-Series BlasterX AE-5 Plus] driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 1
    speed: 2.5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 05:00.0 chip-ID: 1102:0012 class-ID: 0403
  Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 31 HDMI/DP Audio
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16
    bus-ID: 0d:00.1 chip-ID: 1002:ab30 class-ID: 0403
  API: ALSA v: k6.17.8-1-default status: kernel-api with: aoss
    type: oss-emulator tools: alsactl,alsamixer,amixer
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.5.83 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
    status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
    4: pw-jack type: plugin tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl

I mainly tested this with Star Ocean 3 (NTSC-U) and Valkyrie Profile Silmeria (NTSC-U + PAL). In VP2, the audio is normal during the opening movie, but starts to crackle at the main menu and in-game, in SO3 it starts crackling right from the start.
In the PS2 BIOS the audio is finel.
If needed, I can test other games.

[Denshadego]

I can confirm this happening. Crackling and sound scratches as if the disc was damaged, however, it only happens on those two games OP posted in my testing (both Tri-Ace games), while other games sound fine. In fact, I was going to post an issue report on Star Ocean 3 before seeing this one and checking Silmeria.

Please OP, do test other games to confirm we are talking about the same issue.

Tested with different option configurations, including default, and the same happens. Standalone PCSX2 sounds normal, so the discs are not damaged.

I doubt is the same thing, but if it's of any help, the only similar thing I could find related to these games and sound issues it this pcsx2 resolved issue:
PCSX2/pcsx2#4550

[trostboot]

Indeed, it seems to be just tri-Ace games as far as I can tell. Radiata Stories has the same issue, other random games I booted up (Grandia III, Shadow of the Colossus, Dark Cloud 2, Summoner 2) were all fine.

This also reminded me of another old PCSX2 issue (PCSX2/pcsx2#1634), which may well be unrelated but tri-Ace were clearly doing something a bit weird with regards to audio.